Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon has demanded that members of armed groups who clashed with government forces this week be disarmed and brought to justice.

Reports from Tajikistan cited Rahmon as saying all "criminal groups" in the eastern Gorno-Badakhshan region must answer before the law.

On July 25, Rahmon, who held a late-night emergency session on the crisis with his cabinet, offered an amnesty to armed groups who surrendered voluntarily.

Tajik government forces launched an operation against what the government called "militants" after the assassination of a high-level security official there on July 21.

Government officials, religious leaders, and village elders have been negotiating with the fighters in an effort to end hostilities that have already left around 70 soldiers, fighters, and civilians dead.

The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe expressed concern over the safety of civilians in the area.

It also called on Tajikistan to conduct transparent investigations of the events, and guarantee the rights of any detainees, including access to legal counsel, humane treatment, and fair trial.